Media’s portrayal of mental health improving but still problematic
Media and shows like 13 Reasons Why have played an important role in how viewers perceive mental health. Screengrab courtesy of Netflix.
By Mariah Wheeler With media becoming more prevalent in daily life, more movies, television shows and news outlets are covering a variety of issues, including mental health. People’s perceptions of mental illness are formed in part by dramatic scenes and characters that the media portrays. Movies like Split (about a kidnapper with dissociative identity disorder), and shows like HBO’s Euphoria (highlighting the life of a 17-year-old girl with mental illness) and NBC’s This is Us (examining the mental health of male characters), have been the focus of discussion about how Hollywood shapes ideas of mental health in audiences. Michelle Strain,…
